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In the midst of the Mini Reaper Garden, where hot chocolate shimmered like the sea, the Golden Reaper stood facing their new younger sibling.

Tilt.

The Golden Reaper tilted their head slightly, sensing something strange about their sibling.

A warmth in the heart akin to firewood and a friendly atmosphere.

It was definitely their sibling, yet something felt off to the Golden Reaper.

Where there should have been eyes, there were firmly placed buttons.

Instead of a bright smile, a neat round seam painted a contrasting grin.

Smooth skin had been replaced by soft fabric in its place.

Feeling too lazy to think, the Golden Reaper reached a simple conclusion.

‘Doll Outfit Sibling!’

With that conclusion, the Golden Reaper radiated joyful intentions, causing the new sibling Reaper to curl up and start wriggling.

And from behind, a gray hand, stained in gray, burst out, tearing through the back.

‘?!’

The Golden Reaper was taken aback, thinking their sibling was seriously hurt, and quickly turned around to check.

A hand emerging from their back!

Surely, it was a prank by their mother.

However, what the Golden Reaper saw upon turning around was not a prank, but a hidden zipper slowly opening.

Like a butterfly shedding its cocoon, the sibling Reaper emerged from the doll outfit in a new form.

What came out of the Golden Reaper doll outfit was the sibling Reaper dressed in a gray Reaper doll outfit.

And the sibling kept shedding outfits.

With each shedding, a new mini Reaper outfit emerged from the sibling.

If the Gray Reaper saw this scene, they might say, ‘It looks like a Matryoshka.’

‘Wow!’

As the Golden Reaper clapped with delight, witnessing the magical scene, the sibling Reaper also laughed, seemingly enjoying the moment, and handed over a leftover mini Reaper doll outfit to the Golden Reaper.

The Golden Reaper took the outfit, quickly put it on, and raised their hands, exuding great determination.

‘Revolution!’

The outfit worn by the Golden Reaper was red.

*

I was lying in the isolation room, filled with a warm, familiar atmosphere.

A cocoon-like bed gently cradled me in a soft embrace.

A TV that conveyed all the world’s stories to me.

Candy carefully crafted like transparent jewels.

Chocolate that looked smooth like luxurious silk.

The cozy warmth of the isolation room wrapped around me, making the air feel like a soft blanket.

Though the isolation room was still warm and comfortable, filled with delicious snacks, there was just one thing that wasn’t to my liking.

That was the people outside, staring into the room with rapt attention.

Since the firewood would find its way to me, I didn’t really mind, but I felt that if more people began to gather, it might turn into a nuisance.

I hoped that only a few people would come, just enough to satisfy my boredom like a special treat of emotions.

The Golden Reapers seemed to find joy in the presence of people visiting and generously offered their goodwill, pressed against the isolation room’s window to catch a glimpse of what lay beyond.

In truth, the Golden Reapers could easily sense the number of people by reading the direction and movement of emotions, but the reason they plastered themselves against the glass was quite different.

At first, they simply struggled to see through the window.

‘There are definitely humans there, but I can’t see them!’

It was a sense of frustration.

But as people began to respond, a positive feedback loop started to form.

When the people liked seeing the Golden Reaper pressing their pudgy cheeks against the glass, the Golden Reapers became even more joyful, leading to them pressing more closely against the glass in response.

Thus, the Golden Reapers and the people were spiraling into a never-ending cycle of happiness.

As I tore my gaze away from the happy Golden Reapers to look at the TV, news that did not match the cozy atmosphere of the isolation room reached my ears.

It was news about the crisis in Russia that had been brewing for quite some time.

[Siberia, designated as a restricted area, is collapsing into darkness!]

There had been talk of evacuating and sealing off Siberia due to an object problem, but it seemed another issue had arisen.

The TV portrayed a state-sized disaster that could lead to a loss of territory.

Turning my attention back to the isolation room, I saw the Golden Reapers bouncing around with bright smiles, trying to attract attention.

This contrast felt amusing.

Spending time gawking at the TV and the Golden Reapers would be fine, but I opened the door leading to the Mini Reaper Garden.

By now, I figured the Yellow Reaper must have been born, so I decided to sneak into the Mini Reaper Garden while everyone’s interest was diverted from the Golden Reapers.

*

Stepping out of the isolation room, my feet landed on the soft marshmallow of the Mini Reaper Garden.

Though the Mini Reaper Garden was still filled with a sweet scent, it had undergone unexpected changes.

Red Reapers were gathered all over the marshmallow field, jumping around in every direction.

There should have only been one Red Reaper, so when did they multiply?

The Mini Reaper Garden transformed into a red square, with Reapers brandishing a hammer and sickle made of fire, cheerfully shouting ‘Revolution!’

In this ridiculous situation, I took a closer look and realized something strange.

Though mental pollution masked any discomfort, I noticed something alien.

Those are button eyes.

Upon realizing this, the Red Reapers appeared to be dressed in well-made doll outfits.

I looked around, trying to figure out where all this doll clothing came from, and saw that there was a mountain of it stacked in the corner of the garden.

In front of the mountain of stacked doll outfits stood the Golden Reapers, lined up in an orderly fashion, picking up a doll outfit one by one.

And as soon as a Golden Reaper donned an outfit, they conjured up red sickles and hammers and joined the lively throng of Red Reaper doll outfits.

The numbers of the Red Reaper doll army continued to grow.

Upon examining the army more closely, I noticed the one leading the charge was the real Red Reaper.

The genuine Red Reaper ran with genuine joy among the marshmallow field, now filled with fellow red comrades.

It seemed this new Yellow Reaper possessed the ability to create doll outfits.

Since the Yellow Moon’s abilities were similar to mimicry and the embodiment of fears, it was as expected.

Yet, strangely, the Yellow Reaper was nowhere to be found.

Leaving the Red Square in search of the Yellow Reaper, I spotted another group of doll outfits.

This time, they were adorned in gray Reaper doll outfits that seemed to be fashioned after me.

Unlike the jumping Red doll outfits, the children in gray Reaper doll outfits were sitting neatly round, observing something.

Of course, dressed in the doll outfit resembling ‘me,’ they were quite well-behaved.

Hehe.

I let out a satisfied smile inwardly, feeling proud.

Curious about what they were watching so quietly, I settled close to the group in gray Reaper doll outfits.

In what looked like a performance venue, a Golden Reaper doll outfit was flying elegantly through the air, swinging a golden club around wildly.

The fake Reaper doll outfits collapsed onto the floor, helpless against the strikes.

The child spectators, watching the Golden Reaper’s performance, clapped joyously while seated.

Following that, the tense clashes between the fake Reaper doll outfits and the Golden Reaper doll outfits continued.

And in a pivotal moment, a scene unfolded where the Golden Reaper doll outfit rescued a human in distress.

That scene caused all the doll outfits to freeze in place, deflating like a balloon with no air.

The Mini Reapers, who watched the display, burst with emotional fervor and stood up to clap enthusiastically.

As the gray Reaper doll outfits gave a round of applause in unison, I finally snapped out of my daze, realizing I had been absorbed in the performance.

Is this a play?

With its simple yet refreshing plot, the play distracted me so much that I forgot about looking for the Yellow Reaper.

Hmmm, a doll outfit Reaper, huh…

I entered the 1st Sword doll and looked at the Yellow Reaper controlling the play, smiling warmly.

Watching the Yellow Reaper being tossed around by other Mini Reapers in a cheerleading performance sparked an amusing idea in my mind.

Hehe.

*

In the Mini Reaper Garden, where doll outfits were bustling around, a Mini Reaper in a red doll outfit soared into the sky, bursting into flames.

The target was the black sphere floating above the Mini Reaper Garden.

Without hesitation, the Mini Reaper dove into the sphere, and as soon as they arrived, they threw off their doll outfit and started walking around.

That Mini Reaper was a Black Reaper with sharp teeth and black skin.

The interior of the black sphere had once been filled with the corpses of Black Reapers, but now it was empty, save for a giant corpse lying in the center.

Though the interior of the black sphere usually saw little foot traffic, once the red Reaper doll outfit provided the ability to fly, the Black Reaper made their way over.

The reason was simple.

‘I want to see Mom’s amazing former body!’

Of course, the Black Reaper knew that ‘Mom too weak’ would someday become ‘strong Mom,’ allowing that colossal body to move again.

But no one could predict when that would happen, so the Black Reaper had come to take a look while they had the chance to fly.

The Black Reaper gazed at the massive form of their mother, a satisfied smile on their face.

Sharp teeth, long and powerful arms.

And compared to the giant fake Reaper met earlier, this body was immensely more powerful.

It looked much stronger than their mother’s current form.

‘Mom is strong!’

‘Strong Mom!’

‘Mom is strong!’

Chanting a bizarre rallying cry, the Black Reaper eagerly explored every corner of the long-missed sight of their mother’s body and suddenly discovered something curious.

‘!’

Two pupils glimmered weakly in the emptiness of the once-vacant eyes.

Startled, the Black Reaper bolted towards the unchanging sphere, desperate to call out for their mother.